Drive
Ames is located just west of the junction of two highways: I-35 and US 30.
Coming in from the North or South? Take I-35 directly into Ames.
If you're traveling from the East or West, take the I-80.
Driving time estimate to Ames from major cities:
- four-hours drive from Lincoln, Nebraska,
Minneapolis, Minnesota or
Kansas City, Kansas - 12-hours drive from Denver, Colorado
- 5.5-hours drive due west of Chicago, but when you count traffic in, you're looking at more like a 7-hour drive.
Fly
The closest airport to Ames is about 35 miles away: the Des Moines International Airport (DSM). It is approximately a 45 minute drive from the venue. You could also drive from Minneapolis, Kansas City, Chicago or Lincoln.
What after getting to DSM?
You can rent a car at the airport and drive to Ames,
or
catch Executive Express, the shuttle that goes between the Airport and the Ames Intermodal Facility. They also go to Holiday Inn, and for an additional fee will give you a 'home-drop'. If you do decide to catch the Executive Express, I strongly recommend you use a phone to make your reservation rather than doing it online. You can call them at 888-522-9899.
Getting Around Ames
If you need to arrange pickups and drop offs at the Ames Intermodal Facility (where all buses and the shuttle drop people off), please contact us.
There's plenty of parking near the currently planned venues. If the venue changes, I'll update parking needs here. Street parking in downtown runs to about $1 for two hours.
I use CyRide, the Ames Public Transportation system to get around. When you arrive for the wedding, it will be running on the semester schedule, so there ought be no shortage of buses. A non-student pays $1.25/ride, and there are passes available for purchase. From personal experience, if you have to switch buses, you're looking at an hour to get around Ames by bus; if there is a direct bus, it is anything up to about twenty minutes. You can call CyRide at 515.292.1100, but in my opinion, GoogleMaps for public transit is the way to go with this service.
There are a couple cab services in Ames too. I prefer Ames Taxi, reached at (515) 232-1343.
Train
This is a disastrous idea, unless you plan to take one into Chicago or Minneapolis and THEN drive. Osceola is deceptively 'near' Ames, but it is literally a level crossing+stop in the middle of a field. A person could drive right past it and barely notice. There is no way to rent a car to get here. No shuttles go to it either. The town is a single street, and from my one trip via this station, I can tell you, there is no place to stay and nothing to do while you wait.
Buses
I would strongly recommend Megabus over Burlington over Greyhound, if you are planning to take a bus into Ames.